(JollofNews) – On May 7, the French people elected Emmanuel Macron as their new president. Macron was born on 21 December 1977, which means he is only 39 years old.
France was a major colonial power in the past holding more than half the space of Africa as its possession. Even when those colonies gained independence in the 1960s, France continues to wield huge power and control over 14 French-speaking countries in Africa until today. These countries continue to pay a colonial tax to France until today. Paris also controls the economies and treasuries of these hapless African countries until today.
While that is already a mindboggling reality, the other shameful reality is that Macron was only between 10 and 20 years old when many of these African presidents took office. In fact in the case of Pres. Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, Macron was just two years old when that dictator took power through a coup. Macron was only three years when Mugabe took power in Zimbabwe. Macron was only 10 years when Museveni became president of Uganda, and Macron was only 20 years when Dennis Sassou Nguesso became President of Congo in 1997 for the second time.
Yet that young boy has now grown old enough to become the president of one of the most powerful nations in the world at just 39 years! Meantime these African presidents still serve as presidents in their impoverished and oppressed countries for decades thanks to their corrupt leadership. Here are some of them.
- Pres. José Eduardo dos Santos, President of Angola (1979–present)
- Pres. Paul Biya, President of Cameroon (1982–present)
- Pres. Idriss Déby, President of Chad (1990–present)
- Pres. Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Congo (1997–present)
- Pres. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of Equatorial Guinea (1979–present)
- Pres. Isaias Afwerki, President of Eritrea (1991–present)
- Pres. Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan (1989–present)
- Pres. Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda (1986–present)
- Pres. Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe (1980–present)
Yet none of these leaders has any plans to quit office after so many years in power, which has brought nothing to their people other than more poverty, deprivation, oppression and exploitation. Interestingly soon they will all answer to the call of Pres. Emmanuel Macron in Paris to talk about the development of Africa. This is because the first thing each and every new French president does is to call all his African Slave Presidents to answer to him to further cement the control of France over Africa.
The sweetest part this time is that all the African Slave Presidents will now be answering to their son and grandson Emmanuel Macron. They will all pretend to be his children as they pose with him for photos and bow and smile to him as they greet him at the Elysees Palace. They will listen to him keenly to tell them how France will help Africa and what kind of behaviour he expects from them. Yet it is clear that France has never and will never help Africa to develop but will continue to exploit and loot Africa as it has always done since the days before Napoleon Bonaparte!
But the fact that there are so many such presidents in Africa clearly speaks to the very weakness and stagnation of the continent. These leaders have succeeded in nothing other than paralyzing the continent into the wretched of the earth where countries like France or China or US among many others just enter to rape and pillage our people and resources with impunity.
Even those governments in countries we consider to be democracies such as Ghana, Senegal, Botswana, Cape Verde and Mauritius have failed to provide the necessary and strategic leadership that should have transformed those countries into highly developed countries by now after having up to 20 years of consistent democratic stability. By now these countries must have removed most of their populations out of poverty with affordable and efficient social services available to most people, with quality infrastructure in all sectors and vibrant economies.
Sometimes one wonders what goes on in the heads of Africa’s intellectuals and politicians in charge of our institutions of governance and development. One wonders whether we do reflect indeed as human beings to study how the rest of the world is unfolding and acting before our eyes. One wonders whether we do have an idea about where we came from and what experiences we encountered in that history in order to know where we need to go.
How come with such large army of educated people with abundant natural resources and a hard-working, law abiding and young population, yet our leaders and governments cannot fully mobilize these huge resources and opportunities to bring about tangible change in our lives after so many decades of independence. Yet one can see how non-Africans easily come into Africa to reap billions of dollars in profit while leaving our teeming masses in poverty and deprivation. It makes one wonder really…!
God Bless Africa
The problem is the Africans that can contribute and build Africa, end up leaving, causing a brain drain, this forum is a good example, most who contribute with positive views live abroad. As for the presidents they can stay as long as they want as long as they do what they are told, they become a dictator or undemocrat when they answer back with the wrong answer.
You got it Grim Reaper: “They can stay as long ast they want if they do what they are told”.
The above list should include the vicious Kagame of Rwanda (1994) but since he is a good boy and is loved by UK and USA ….
If the UK deported all the African’s in the UK>>> Britain would become a third world country>>>then African’s would have to convene another live aid rock festival for us impoverished Englishmen.
RU up for it Boy’s ?
Do You think the Dida Halake and his wailers would play ?
Hey>>> No Halake No Cry >>>>lololol
Sorry Madi Great Piece !!!
Madi for president.
Mzee Madi,
On the list presidents, Please add china as number 10.
WHY? There’s news coalition parties disease is swiping across africa. DRC, South sudan, kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia just to mention couple,They are facing/battling this new disease.
But, But why ganish my teeth, The tenth african presida is here to provide assitance.
Mad(i), Nyamakalo Jaalo,
Shut up! yet you incompetent Barrow went to visit the Number 4 President on your list! What for? is it to help him entrench his inept “leadership”?
I ATTACH A SERIOUS CLAIM FROM MAMA KANDEH, LEADER OF THE GDC. I HAVE BEEN ECHOING THE SAME SENTIMENTS FOR LONG.
Gambia: Breaking News: Mama Kandeh Says Barrow’s Gov’t Is Worse Than Dictator Jammeh’s Regime!
The leader of Gambia’s Democratic Congress Party says the Adama Barrow government is one of the worst governments the Gambia, has ever had as a nation. Addressing his party supporters in Jimara, Mama Kandeh, noted that the…
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May 15, 2017
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The leader of Gambia’s Democratic Congress Party says the Adama Barrow government is one of the worst governments the Gambia, has ever had as a nation. Addressing his party supporters in Jimara, Mama Kandeh, noted that the former Jammeh government is way better than the Barrow government, while accusing the current administration of woefully failing the Gambian people.
“The Barrow government is worse than the former administration of Yahya Jammeh. These people are inept, incompetent, clueless and above all out of touch with the masses. The Gambia is sinking. It is about time for Adama Barrow to come out plain to the Gambians, who voted him into office and admit that he cannot rule this country. The direction this country is heading towards is the least promising. Nothing is working in the Gambia. This is a government without sense of direction. It is headed by a clueless president,” Kandeh posited.
“We at the GDC have no problem in helping Barrow to rule this country. We will be more than glad to shape the affairs of this country if avail with the opportunity. I do not think that this is the promised government for the Gambia. They are worse than the government that they replaced. At least during Yahya Jammeh’s era, the government was functional, but under Barrow nothing is working. The country is struggling with electricity outages, insecurity, heated tribal bigotry just to name a few. It is my fervent belief that Adama Barrow and his government are unfit to rule the Gambia. We deserve a better leadership. The Gambia and her people do not deserve such a lame duck leadership,” Kandeh added while being applauded by his excited supporters. He was speaking in the local Fulani dialect.
Mr. Kandeh also accused the Barrow government of mortgaging the Gambian sea to Senegal. He said Gambian fishermen have been disadvantaged when it comes to fishing because in his own words ” Adama Barrow has auctioned our national waters to Senegal. This he said, has contributed to the acute shortage of fish in the country.
He also referenced OJ Jallow’s recent call for Jammeh to return to the Gambia, but he said OJ was widely censored by his colleagues in the opposition. He said the Barrow government is not interested in reconciling the country.
Mr. Kandeh used the meeting to deplore tribalism in any form. He said The Gambia, is a nation, in which tribes have been coexisting for decades in peace and harmony.
“Those propagating and fanning tribal bigotry should desist from such divisive politics. I remember some supporters of the opposition telling me that I would be deported to Guinea, if they assume the presidency. My response was: If I am deported to Guinea, then all the tribes will leave one day. Then the Mandinkas will be deported to Mali too. We are one people. We intermarry. Tribalism should be disavowed by all political leaders. It is bad,” he said.
He denounced the recent political violence, which occurred in Jimara, shortly after the legislative elections. He said communities should learn to live in peace and harmony without any political rancor.
Mama Kandeh also defended his recent philanthropist gestures towards impoverished Gambian communities including some schools. He said the Barrow government has nothing to offer to Gambians other than peddling pack of lies against its opponents, who have the nation’s interest at heart. He recalled being painted as a Jammeh enabler and also working with the APRC to legitimize a despot.
“Today, the UDP is working with the APRC. The likes of Suku Singhateh are now members of the UDP. They have lied against me and my party. Now the APRC is UDP’s survival base. What a double standard. My party will not discriminate at Gambians. The APRC is welcome to the GDC,” he said.
Written By Pa Nderry M’Bai
Views: 1,056
It’s good the UDP are reaching out to other Political Parties. Perhaps Mr Kandeh should explore this worthy ideal in the noble cause of reconciliation ?
Better late than never … as the saying goes.
I thank Mr Jobarteh for a thought provoking piece, and I must admit I had to spend a couple of hours trying to figure out how this blatant insult to the whole black race is able to persist for so long. Following this, I came to the conclusion that I have no other option but to have recourse to the “psychology” behind France’s colonial and post-colonial policy, and the historical foundations upon which it is based.
Seen in this light, I would argue that our fellow African elite in these states must share the lion’s share of the blame for several reasons. In the first place, French “cultural imperialism” over the decades has for some reason or other succeeded in convincing the citizenry of these countries that without France as their “eternal father” there is no future for their respective states. Even though logic dictates otherwise, based on the realities on the ground. Let us for example compare the CFA with the Euro: European countries will never allow a black African Central Bank to be the final repository of their Euro reserves. The leadership of the individual CFA member-states deep down inside can see the anomaly of this situation, but due to the psychology behind “Mother Country’s” colonial and post-colonial policies, they just submit to France’s dictates.
In effect, confirming before the whole world the false notion that the African is incapable of managing his/her own affairs, and that our intelligence and creativity is inferior vis-a-vis the white man. Of course, some citizens of former British colonies on the continent do have similar inferiority complexes towards lighter skinned peoples of every type. However, I put that down to ignorance on their part. Admittedly, the very idea behind currency unions of this type is indeed a brilliant one, but I see no reason why “a European nation” should be so deeply involved in such internal African projects in this day and age. Perhaps, there was a genuine need for that during the first two decades after their independence from France. However, such excuses are in no way convincing in the year 2017 – period!
The above-mentioned psychology of French African policy has enabled France to act the way it likes in its former African colonies with impunity to date, even though they collectively have the potential to have a much stronger bargaining power at the expense of France. Hence, the “fear” argument in some of the comments above is far from water-tight in the face of collective actions from the leadership and citizenry of these former colonies. Perhaps, this notorious psychology has a built-in “Stockholm’s Syndrome”: France has in due course acquired a “semi-God” status among the citizenry of its former African colonies, hence it apparently can do no wrongs! Logic and history, on the other hand, dictate that the opposite should have been the case in the relationship between a colonized people and the former “master” under normal circumstances.
The lessons to be learnt from this shameful African historical experience is: Whenever you want to “permanently” colonize the minds of a people”, the most efficient way of going about it is to succeed in making them believe through cultural imperialistic means that you are “indispensable” because “they shall be eternally inferior as compared to you the colonial master”. Indeed, widespread mental slavery is a fact of life on the shores of our continent and unless we succeed in rooting it out in the coming decades, light-skinned foreigner shall continue raping our resources under different guises in broad day light.